Our Strategy

AVAC’s vision for a world without AIDS and with global health equity guides our work.

Our mission is to accelerate the ethical development of effective HIV prevention options and ensure access to those options for everyone who needs them as part of a comprehensive and integrated path to global health equity.

HIV prevention research is accelerating, but global prevention targets are off track. Critical goals set by UNAIDS for 2020, of less than 500,000 infections, were not met. In that goal post year, infection numbers were 1.5 million, three times more than the target. It’s a prevention crisis in the midst of profound advances in research—more HIV prevention options than ever before are moving through the pipeline of research and development or have proven effective. But will they reach those who need them most?

This contradiction can be seen in the global response to COVID-19. Science moved with commitment and solidarity to develop interventions, faster than ever before, that protect against SARS-COV-2. But innovation and political will failed when it came time to deliver those interventions everywhere they have been needed.

To advance our mission for HIV prevention and global health equity, our strategic plan outlines three pillars in order to anticipate and respond to new complexities in HIV prevention, position our work to advocate for resilient health systems that center communities and prioritize social justice, and invest in robust, mutually empowered partnerships that achieve far-reaching results.

TRANSLATE: AVAC serves as a bridge between the scientific field and communities where research happens. We share research findings, develop and support evidence-based advocacy by our partners, and amplify the voices, perspectives and needs of affected communities.

ADVOCATE: AVAC mobilizes to ensure programs, products and policies are evidence-based, inclusive and effective. We are committed to advocacy and action founded on principles of power-sharing. We foster the development of skilled and informed advocates.

CATALYZE: AVAC cultivates and sustains partnerships that shape and leverage an ecosystem of advocacy for clinical trials, products, programs and policies that advance HIV prevention and global health equity.

In addition to the three major pillars, AVAC’s strategic plan integrates four key enablers that are essential to success:

• Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Read our EDI statement here
• Equitable Partnerships
• Team Culture
• Operational Efficiency

Read our full strategic plan for 2022-2026.